Pea and mint ice cream or lollies with chocolate

This is a refreshing treat for the summer that’s very easy to make. Instead of sugar and pasteurised milk, this ice cream uses coconut milk, probiotic yogurt and plenty of sweet little peas. The frozen peas blend with the rest of the ingredients to make a smooth ice cream base in minutes. If you have a high-powered blender, then you can throw some fresh mint in there too − although you’ll always need to add a dash of mint extract as well, to get that super-refreshing taste.

We pour the mix into our ice cream maker and, an hour later, the ice cream is ready to go. For those without an ice cream maker, try our trick using an ice cube mould or half the recipe to make these cute lollies.

Makes 900ml ice cream

Ingredients:

FOR THE PEA AND MINT ICE CREAM BASE

350g frozen petits pois

1 tin of full-fat coconut milk

150g full-fat probiotic natural yogurt

4 tbsp raw runny honey

1 tsp peppermint extract or 50g fresh mint leaves and a little peppermint extract too

a pinch of sea salt

a handful of cacao nibs, optional

FOR THE CHOCOLATE SAUCE

50g cacao powder

Method:

1. To make the pea and mint ice cream base, blend all the ingredients except for the cacao nibs together until very smooth.

2. To make the chocolate sauce, measure out all the ingredients into a jug or small bowl and stir together, along with 9 tbsp hot water.

3. To make ice cream, place the pea and mint base into an ice cream maker and, following the manufacturer’s instructions, churn until you have ice cream. When it is ready, scoop the ice cream into bowls and sprinkle with cacao nibs and drizzle with chocolate sauce to serve. If you don’t have an ice cream maker, pour the pea and mint mixture into ice cube moulds and freeze. Pulse the frozen cubes in a food processor for a soft serve ice cream.

4. To make 12 lollies, make up half the quantity of pea and mint base and add about 4 teaspoons into the bottom of tall shot glasses or lolly moulds and pop into the freezer. After 20 minutes or more, insert a lolly stick into the pea mixture and pour some of the chocolate sauce around it. Repeat with the pea and mint base and finish with the chocolate sauce, freezing for 10 minutes between layers. Freeze the finished lollies for a further 2 hours, then enjoy.

5. Alternatively, mix the half-quantity of pea and mint base for the lollies with the chocolate sauce and pour into shot glasses. Insert the lolly sticks and freeze for at least 2 hours before serving.

The Art of Eating Well is published by Ebury Press, and costs £25. Photography by Nicholas Hopper. For more recipes, see hemsleyandhemsley.com